World Demand for Doors and Windows to Reach $223 Billion in 2017

Through 2017, global demand for doors and windows is expected to rise 7.1 percent annually to $223 billion, significantly exceeding the growth rate of the 2007-2012 period, according to World Windows & Doors, a new study from The Freedonia Group Inc., a Cleveland-based industry market research firm.

Growth will be driven by recoveries in the building construction markets of many developed countries, although gains will be somewhat exaggerated by a weak 2012 base, particularly in the U.S. Additionally, continued strong increases in building construction activity in developing areas will boost demand.

The U.S. market for doors and windows is forecast to post a strong recovery and see gains of more than 10 percent per year through 2017, after suffering outright declines between 2007 and 2012. The primary driver of demand will be an expected housing market recovery in the country. Western Europe, another market that saw declining door and window demand between 2007 and 2012, is also projected to see a recovery through 2017, though not as strong as that in the U.S.

China was the world’s largest door and window market in 2012, and will see its share of global demand rise to 36 percent of the total in 2017. Continuing rapid economic growth and industrialization, as well as an increase in the average size of a housing unit in the country, will boost gains. Additionally, as personal incomes rise, households can better afford more expensive, modern fenestration products, thereby increasing the value of demand, says the report. As such, China is expected to post robust demand gains of 8.7 percent annually through 2017, a rate slower than that of the previous decade but still among the highest in the world.

Rapid demand gains are also expected in the other developing areas of the world—particularly in the Africa/Mideast region and South America. However, gains will be slightly below the world average, as the global financial crisis did not have as strong an impact as in the developed areas, and these regions are starting from a higher 2012 base. Rising personal incomes will lead to the adoption of more Western-style building practices, encouraging the use of modern doors and windows and boosting demand gains.

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